The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (Oxford Paperback Reference) [Paperback]

J. N. D. Kelly (Author), Michael Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2006 | Series: Oxford Paperback Reference

This acclaimed papal Who's Who presents biographical accounts in chronological order of all the officially recognized popes from St. Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, with a new and expanded entry on Pope John Paul II. Providing a continuous history of the papacy, it also includes their irregularly elected rivals, the so-called 'anti-popes,' and an appendix discussing the legendary existence of a female pope, named Joan. Each papal and anti-papal entry covers family, social background, and pre-papal careers, as well as activities in office, and is arranged chronologically. The Dictionary of Popes presents a continuous history of the almost 2,000 year existence of the papacy, revealing how, for much of that history, spiritual and temporal power have ben inextricably mingled in the person of the pope.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Kelly is an Anglican scholar-priest, author of the highly regarded Early Christian Creeds (Longman, 1972. 3rd ed.) and Early Christian Doc trines (Harper, 1978. rev. ed.). The Dictionary is a chronological listing of popes from Peter (d. c.64) to John Paul II. Entries contain concise yet interesting biographies, followed by brief bibliographies of selected pri mary and secondary sources. Anti popes, men who claimed to be pope but, "rightly or wrongly," were not officially recognized, are included, as is an appendix on Pope Joan, a leg endary female pope. The result is the ideal reference book: Well written and thoroughly indexed, it also ex hibits fine scholarship. Highly rec ommended both for public and theo logical libraries.Myriel Crowley Eykamp, formerly with MIT Libs.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

`Review from previous edition invaluable and much needed' Guardian

`well-researched, extremely well written, and a delightful exercise in its own right...an entertaining read for those of any religion or of none' Church Times

`very much a book to read or browse in as well as one to consult' New York Times

`ought to be on the reference shelf of any civilized person of any faith or none...not merely a dictionary but an agreeable bedside read' Hampstead and Highgate Express

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Updated edition (April 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198614330
• ISBN-13: 978-0198614333
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #740,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mirabilis!, July 19, 2004

By 

Eric J. Lyman (Roma, Lazio Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

Without a doubt, this is the best available general resource source on papal histories, well referenced and organized with a no-nonsense writing style that makes it both an invaluable source of information for scholars and a fun book to just open to a random page and read.

The collection of papal mini-biographies here is the most complete I know of, including even the various anti-popes and the historically questionable Pope Joan. Where the available information is incomplete or contradictory, author, editor and researcher J.N.D. Kelly usually points that out. Other books give more information about specific aspects of the papacy, but none offers such a wide range of information between two compact covers.

My one complaint is a minor one: Mr. Kelly's judgments about what did and did not happen and who should and should not have been pope (regarding everything from Pope Joan and the anti-popes to conspiracy theories surrounding the unexpected death of Pope John Paul I in 1978) tend toward the official Vatican view more often than I'd like. But a book has to take some point of view, and if Mr. Kelly had done the opposite I'd probably be complaining now that he was a bit too antagonistic for my taste.

All in all, this is an irreplaceable resource for any theologian, religious scholar, or intellectually curious reader.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A needed scholarly overview., July 18, 2000

By 

David Zampino "21st Century Hobbit" (Delavan, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

The late Church of England clergyman and Oxford scholar JND Kelly has, in his "The Oxford Dictionary of Popes" provided a needed resource accessible to scholars, clergy, and laity alike, and is valuable for both Protestants and Catholics.

The "Dictionary" summarizes the life, important acts and writings, and controversies surrounding the Successors to St. Peter, and the various pretenders to that throne. He doesn't pull any punches -- several of the medieval and Renassiance era popes get the short shrift that they so desperately deserve! But these brief biographies are written without rancor, without agenda, and with good bibliographic references so the reader can identify the primary source material. Furthermore, Kelly seperates fact from fiction, debunking David Yallop's "In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I" and the various legends surrounding the ficticious "Pope Joan".

All in all, a valuable reference text that belongs on the shelf of every historian, clergyman and theological scholar.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't need to be a Catholic to enjoy this book, October 4, 2004

By 

Flemming Orth (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

- I'm not, but I did. A compelling collection of hard historical fact, complex theological issues and magnificent trivia, this is not only a great reference book but read cover-to-cover makes a great yet compact history of the Roman Church - and indeed of Rome, Italy, Europe, western civilization etc.